Episode 185 - Trails and Tales
2019-12-07
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Erbacher Tony O'Connell
Roving reportersLyndell Murray Melissa Ellis Scott Watkins
Show notes
From the Facebook post
Did you see? Episode 185 snuck out this morning, a little bit sheepish about not making it to you in time for parkrun (in Australia anyway).
It's a good 'un though, the ever terrific TOC is back to guest co-host and we have roving reports from Ros Gregor Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Benalla Botanical Gardens (opens in a new tab) parkrun in Australia, plus Byxbee (opens in a new tab) parkrun in the US!
It's never too late to listen: http://parkrun.social/pa-pod
From the podcast feed
The parkrun adventurers enjoy the talkative talents of Tony O’Connell (AKA TOC) who returns as guest co-host this week. And we hear tales from trails with roving reports from Ros Gregor Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun in Australia and Byxbee (opens in a new tab) parkrun in the US, along with a side of botany from Benalla Botanical parkrun.
Listen
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Enhanced transcript
Speakers named, sound described and segments marked by the editing pass — not yet checked by a person.
Read the transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Erbacher and Tony O'Connell, recording on a Monday night. The first Ugly Christmas Singlet has arrived in New South Wales ahead of supplier Ventoo's shipping date, with International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day set for 21 December; TOC is planning a Christmas and New Year trip taking in two northern Victoria events and a New Year's double in the ACT. TOC visited the new Aurora parkrun in Epping (four laps, 52 finishers) after a tutu pacer week at Inverloch; Mel stayed close to home at a hot Golden Beach with Adam's sister Karen and Andrew, who pushed Wes in the pram.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 10:28
Three roving reports run back to back. Lyndell Murray from Ros Gregor Trail parkrun, Nanango, Queensland - event six after a bushfire cancellation cost her a Wilson index seven; she chats to a group of local women, to 102-streak tourist Belinda, to first finisher Trevor Adams and to founding RD/ED Therese, signing off "for the Channel 5 News crew". Scott Watkins from Byxbee parkrun, Palo Alto, California - the second California event, heavily Australian-run, interviewing ED Sarah and volunteer Stephanie. Melissa Ellis from Benalla Botanical Gardens parkrun, Victoria - interviewing volunteer Robert, plus a post-run addendum giving the location context she forgot. Mel notes that Lyndell's and Scott's reports were held over from last week for length.
parkrun the Musical starts at 45:29
Results of the Facebook poll suggested by PK: 73% would watch parkrun the Musical, 27% would not. Mel and TOC then read out listener song suggestions - Christy Shermer's "Don't Cry For Me, Timekeeper", Michael Gentle's "parkrunning Across the Universe", Charlotte Nevison's "Run" by Snow Patrol, Chris Fraser's photoshopped vinyl covers ("Billy Don't Lose My Barcode", "These Boots Are Made For Tail Walking", "Lycra and Laces"), Stephen Tucker's "Highway to Hell" for the Westerfolds hill, Mitch McDonough's "Born to parkrun", Bruce Purdy's "Running Up That Hill", Tracy Wood's "Livin' on a Prayer" for the turnaround, Amy Rosa Hanlon's "Don't Rain on My parkrun", "Hopelessly Devoted to webFMS", Scott Watkins' "Fast Friends" by Paul Dempsey, Cameron Drake's "The Book of parkrun", and Helen Jane Davis' Piano Man parody which TOC finishes on air.
Running Challenges fun fact starts at 53:25
Mel proposes on air that this become a weekly segment - "I think we need to make this a little bit of a segment in that each week somebody, perhaps my guest co-host... needs to share something, some kind of a fun fact about their personal running challenges." TOC agrees and they run it immediately using the Running Challenges extension's average-location map: TOC's average location is just south of Seymour, Victoria; Mel's is near the turnaround point of Miles parkrun in Queensland, an event she has never actually done.
Sign-off starts at 56:29
The host said it had been another fun episode and thanked TOC for joining her once more, saying it is always fun to have the news crew on board; TOC said it had been a pleasure and that he was listening to rain bucketing down outside and wished he could send some north, and she thanked him for sending his voice instead. She then left listeners with a tease: the venue for the palm20 listener meetup was in the final stages of confirmation and would be revealed next week, though long-time listeners already knew it would be in Adelaide, South Australia, in March, and Adelaide city was a safe bet for accommodation. TOC said he was really looking forward to the build-up and to catching up with voices he only sees once a year.